Category: First Nations

Reform the Indian Act to Boost First Nations’ Entrepreneurship, Says Study

First Nations entrepreneurship can be improved if Ottawa removes further barriers to property rights within the Indian Act, a new study suggests. “Indigenous people in Canada face many barriers to entrepreneurship that other Canadians do not, so Ottawa has a responsibility to right this wrong,” said study author Tom Flanagan, a senior fellow at the…


First Nations Delegates Meet With Pope Francis

A First Nations chief, Gerald Antoine, said Thursday that their meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican will be the beginning of a partnership, as Canadian indigenous communities call for an official apology from the Catholic Church over the residential schools. “We very much hope that these discussions will be the beginning of continued dialogue…


United States, Canada Continue Negotiations Over Columbia River Treaty

On Jan. 10, the United States and Canada entered their twelfth round of negotiations on the Columbia River Treaty, a 1960s-era agreement between the two countries over flood control, hydroelectric power generation, and other facets of water resources management in the massive, cross-border Columbia River Basin. The agreement’s flood control provisions are set to expire…


US, Canada Continue Negotiations Over Columbia River Treaty

The United States and Canada have entered their 12th round of negotiations on the Columbia River Treaty, a 1960s-era agreement between the two countries that covers flood control, hydroelectric power generation, and other facets of water resources management in the massive, cross-border Columbia River Basin. The agreement’s flood control provisions are set to expire in…


Indigenous Leaders Urge Alberta to Implement Recommendations in Report on Foreign Campaigns Against Energy Sector

Indigenous leaders advocating for First Nations oil and gas producers are urging the Alberta government to adopt the Allan Inquiry report’s recommendations that would support First Nations energy development in the face of anti-oilsands campaigns. Stephen Buffalo is president and CEO of the Indian Resource Council (IRC), which represents more than 155 oil- and gas-producing First…


‘They Gave Everything They Had’: How BC Residents Helped Each Other Amid the Flood Crisis

When Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley were hit with mudslides and flooding more than a week ago, many people were displaced, trapped, and desperate. As tragedy and fear struck with devastating impact, First Nations communities acted, from the Squiala Nation in Chilliwack through the Fraser Valley to the Skuppah Nation and beyond, moving quickly…


Some BC Evacuees to Be Allowed to Return Home, Key Railway Corridor to Reopen

Some evacuees set to return home today and a key railway corridor expected to reopen following record rainfall in B.C. that caused flooding and triggered mudslides. A week after the entire city of Merritt, B.C. was forced to evacuate when the Coldwater River flooded into the community of about 7,000, officials announced the first phase…


Keeping the National Flag at Half-Mast Indefinitely A Crass Political Move

Commentary Elections will always bring about new and unexpected wedge issues during the campaign. I don’t think anybody could have predicted that the status of the Canadian flag on federal buildings would come into play though. The decision to fly a national flag at half-mast is not one to be taken lightly. It is an…


Feds Didn’t Supply Enough Resources to End Water Advisories on First Nations: Auditor

OTTAWA—The government did not provide the support needed to ensure First Nations communities have access to safe drinking water, says federal auditor general Karen Hogan in a report released Thursday. Hogan found Indigenous Services Canada failed to meet its commitment to eliminate all long-term drinking water advisories by the end of March. She also noted…


Jordan’s Principle Order May Cost Feds $15 Billion in Compensation, PBO Says

OTTAWA—The parliamentary budget office says it could cost the federal government up to $15 billion to compensate First Nations families and children impacted by the child welfare system, as well as denials or delays of essential services. The figure updates the budget office’s initial estimate to include thousands more children, parents and grandparents who would…